Legacy of Fire
by Menno Simons
Summary: A boy and his pokemon travel the region of Kanto that's changed much since the days of Ketchum. Rated T for violence unavoidable in pokemon battles, and romance perhaps. No language, obviously. Send me some OCs, I'll use the good ones. R&R, people!
1. Chapter 1

Claimer: I own pokemon. Really, I do. And instead of writing official, published stories about them, I write fanfics to post on the Internet for kicks. Buy some of my games make me richer, kay?

Ryan was restless, as usual, and kept checking his duffel bag to make sure it was all packed. He'd read all the adventure stories of his heroes Ash Ketchum and Manny Dolmen, and he was excited to do it himself. Among the things he'd packed were a heavy-duty blanket, two weeks worth of changes of clothes, and dozens of potions.

He was going to go get his starter from Professor Oak today, his 14th birthday, and the rumour was they'd just got in a fresh shipment so Ryan could have his pick. When his brother, Jason, had gotten his partner, all Oak had were a couple of Spearow.

"No Spearow for me!" Ryan said to himself as he watched the clock slowly tick away. "I'm getting a Pikachu, just like Ash, even if Caitlin did say it was horribly 'Mary-Sue'.

He hugged his mom goodbye, and shook hands with his father an hour before his appointment with the professor. He wanted to be early, and besides, it was a long walk.

"Remember to come visit us when you're in town!" His mother said as his father handed him a parting gift. It was a wallet, and inside was nearly 7000P, enough to support him for quite a while.

"Goodbye son. Remember, you're a man now."

Ryan thanked his parents one last time as he made his way down the walk to the street, and waved them goodbye.

The trip was largely uneventful, he passed by the same street pokemon he did everyday when he walked through Pallet Town. Rattata, Grimer, and a load of Spearows on rooftops.

Caitlin, his best friend, had turned 14 a couple of weeks ago and had gone to receive her starter, a Sandshrew. But she'd waited for him to get his, and had restricted herself to training around town. She'd caught a few pocket monsters in the woods, but other than that she was as much a rookie as he was.

As he stepped into the lab, Ryan saw the large portraits of hometown heroes Professor Oak Senior and Ash Ketchum. The senior Oak had passed away some years ago, and left the lab to an heir. Everybody had expected him to leave it with Gary, who had always aspired to become a pokemon professor, ever after behind defeated by Ketchum. But Gary had turned it down to lead a gym in Saffron Town, and the laboratory was given to his wife, Oak Sr.'s daughter-in-law, Judy Oak.

"Why, hello. Ryan Smyth, right?" She asked in her sweet voice as she stepped out into the entrance chamber of the building.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm here for my starter."

"Of course! Well, I'm sure you've heard that we just got in a new shipment, so you have lots of choice. Let's go look, shall we?"

"Great!" Ryan already new what he wanted, but he didn't want to pass up the chance to see some pokemon in the lab.

As she led him down the long hallway, they turned off at the second to last door. "We've got four pokemon here, and they're all tame and ready to go!"

Inwardly, Ryan sighed. He'd secretly been hoping for a rebel pokemon, like Ash had.

He scanned the room, and looked at each one. A Pidgey perched on a bookshelf. A Growlithe sitting in a small basket. A Marill bobbing up and down in an aquarium. And finally, a Jigglypuff sleeping on a puffy pink pillow.

"No Pikachu?" Ryan exclaimed as tears began to well up in his eyes.

"Of course not, silly! We haven't given those out since Ketchum!"

_I can't cry, _Ryan, thought_, I'm a man now, just like Dad said._

"Well, er, I guess I'll have the, ah, Growli—no, Pidge—no, Growlithe. Yes Growlithe. Please."

"Good choice!" She said in her cheerful voice that was beginning to get on Ryan's nerves. Nothing like an overly happy person to get on the nerves of a sad one.

She picked up a Greatball and clicked the small button on the centre of it, calling in the Growlithe. "I'll just register him to your pokedex. You do have a pokedex, right?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good. Can you give it to me then?"

Ryan handed her his red pokemon encyclopaedia, and she used it to scan the Greatball.

"He's all yours. Good luck!" She said Ryan, and she gave him a small bag of pokeballs.

"Thanks." He muttered as he walked out of the lab. _Couldn't get a stupid Pikachu…_

Caitlin Connor was waiting for him on the steps, her three pokemon bouncing around excitedly. She'd captured an Ekans and a Bellsprout to accompany her Sandshrew, and she'd managed to train them into a real team over the last two weeks.

"What'd you get? You didn't really get a Pikachu, did you? They're so cliché, it's insane."

"Eh, no, I didn't get a Pikachu." Ryan said, frowning. "I got a Growlithe."

"Oh, like Terry?" She asked, referring to a boy a year older who had already gone off on his journey.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Okay. So, you want to head off then? I've already said my goodbyes."

"Yeah, me too. Let's go, I guess. No point just standing around."

Thanks for reading, any who got past the beginning that looked hopelessly cliché; I hope the whole thing wasn't. Believe me, I'd never start someone out with a Pikachu, ever.


	2. The Dead Druids

The first day of travelling, Ryan tried to catch every pokemon he saw. Luckily, Caitlin stopped him. If he'd had his way he'd have no pokeball left and a bunch of weak, low-level, pocket monsters and several of each species.

"No. Wait a few days until you start capturing any new ones." Caitlin ahd told him. "Bond with your starter."

He'd followed her advice, since she did have more experience, even if there was only a couple weeks difference.

"How's it going, eh?" He'd asked the pokemon the first time he let it out, a few minutes walk away from the town limits.

"Grooooowlithe."

"Okay, so, that means what exactly?" He'd asked Caitlin, giving her a pleading look.

"How am I supposed to know? I've never trained a Growlithe."

"I guess I'll have to wing it, eh?"

"Yep." Caitlin answered, playing with her Sandshrew, tickling it and poking it playfully.

"Alright. I can do this. Are you hungry?"

The Growlithe shook its head.

"Thirsty?"

Again, no go.

"Sleepy?"

Nope.

"Er, need a bath?"

Nope.

"Stupid pokemon. I know I should've gotten a Pikachu!"

"Eh, Ryan? I think your Growlithe just took a dump." Caitlin called from a few meters away, sniffing the air.

"Oh. Oops." Ryan exclaimed, looking behind the pocket monster to see a long, brown log deposited right on the ground. "I have to clean that up?"

"Not out here. But in the cities you do." Caitlin replied. "Well, let's set up camp. We can't really keep going until you get to know your pokemon, and it's getting dark anyway."

"Sure, whatever." Ryan said as he gpiled some wood and pulled a lighter from his duffel bag. "I'll start a fire."

"Hey, what do you think you're doing here?" A voice called out. Ryan looked around, but saw nothing. "This is our road!"

"And who are you?" Caitlin called out. She'd gone on a few camping trips on this road since she got her Sandshrew, and had never been hassled before.

"The Dead Druids gang!" A boy said as he poked his head up from behind a bush. _He can't be much older than me, _Ryan thought.

Two others popped up as well, and they stepped forward. "Now, are you going to leave, or are we going to have to make trouble?"

_This is my chance at adventure, just like Ash!_ Ryan thought as he stepped up. "It's going to be trouble." He said in the most heroic voice a fourteen year old could manage.

"Alright then." The boy's leader said, and he pushed Ryan back.

"Hey, that's not fair. Let's settle this with our pokemon!"

"What do you think we are, morons? We fight like men, not little girls." The leader said. He had red hair and green eyes, and reminded Ryan of a rooster. The other two looked quite similar, so he assumed they were brothers.

Compared to them, Ryan was pretty scrawny. He was tall but his muscles were definitely not developed yet. His shaggy black hair that framed his face made him look even smaller in comparison.

"Sandshrew! Scratch those bullies!" Caitlin cried, and her partner pokemon flew at the gang and cut a long scratch along the chest of their leader. He fell backward, and a trickle of blood began to seep through his black shirt.

"Hey! That's illegal!"

"So is assault." She shot back. "Wanna take it up with a cop?"

The other bullies ran off, leaving their leader to face them on his own. "Yeah, well, go cry to your mommies." He said, getting up and running off to join his brothers. But you'll pay soon. Mark my words."

"Hey, I've got rivals, just like Ash Ketchum!" Ryan exclaimed after they were gone.

"They're not rivals, they're thugs. And I drove them off, so they're mad at me. All you did was stand around and act scared."

"Hey!" Ryan cried, but it was too late. Caitlin had already broken into a fit of laughter at her own mocking words.


	3. Battle One!

Night fell quickly, far faster than Ryan had expected. The cold, September night air bit at his fingers as he huddled around the fire and tried to sleep. The ground was wet and the sky was promising another bout of rain during the night, and Ryan was not expecting a good sleep.

Growlithe was back in his Greatball, attached to Ryan's belt. _I wish I could go in a pokeball,_ Ryan thought, _and then I wouldn't get all wet tonight. _

Caitlin had already dozed off, used to the hard ground and wet grass from her camping trips.

He couldn't see the stars because of all the rain clouds, so his mind wandered. _Who were those guys that came after us? I thought bad guys fought with pokemon! That's what they do in all the stories. Then again, none of the stories include the parts where you're trying to fall asleep on hard, wet ground either…_

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After a night of short sleeps and long wakening, it was finally time to leave camp.

"Come on, Ryan. We can make it to Viridian if we're lucky."

"And fight the gym leader! Kenneth, here I come!"

"Oh no, Ryan. This isn't like your adventure stories that you always read. Nobody beats a gym leader after only one day of training. It just doesn't work that way."

"I will!" Ryan exclaimed, brimming with confidence. "Just wait and see!"

"Whatever…" Caitlin replied, tired of trying to teach him anything. "Hopefully Kenneth will knock some sense into you."

It was going to be a long walk if they wanted to make it to Viridian that day, so they set off quickly. "I'll let out Growlithe so he can jog along with us."

"I don't care. He's your pokemon, not mine."

A burst of red energy blasted from the centre of the Greatball and slowly took the form of the orange and black Growlithe, who seemed to still be in a bad mood. "Groooooowlithe."

"What is it?"

"Great. Well, you can't come along until you find out what's wrong with your pokemon, and I don't feel like waiting up. Meet me in Viridian City, alright?" Caitlin told him as she kept walking.

"Awww, great. Now I'll have to go there on my own. Well, what's your matter Growlithe? Hungry?"

The Growlithe nodded grudgingly, and Ryan pulled a tin of Pokechow out of his duffel bag. "Here. Can we go now?" He asked after opening the tin and setting it on the ground.

The pocket monster ate fast, and then looked back up at Ryan. "Grooooowlithe!"

"Now what?" Ryan snapped.

"Groooooooowlithe."

"Thirsty?"

He shook his head no.

"Sleepy?"

Nope.

"Ah… homesick?"

Nope.

"Groooooooowlithe!" The pocket monster howled, and pointed its nose at it's paws.

"Eh, what's wrong with your claws?" Ryan asked, and then realized he wouldn't be able to figure it out anyway. He examined them closely, to find scratches all over Growlithe's paws.

"Hey, those are Pidgey scratches! Was that bird attacking you?"

"Grooooow." The pokemon groaned to verify Ryan's guess.

"That's stupid. Well, once we're at Viridian I'll get the Nurse to have a look, okay?"

"Lithe." Growlithe agreed, and then stood up and began to walk on.

"Hey! Wait for me!"

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As they travelled down the route, Ryan kept looking at his pokemon, admiring his shiny coat and sharp teeth.

When he arrived at a crossroads, Ryan saw a boy about his own age sitting on a rock, reading his pokedex. He had blond hair down to his shoulder blades and bright green eyes.

"Howdy mate. And who might you be?" The boy asked, a friendly smile on his face.

"Ryan Smyth, from Pallet Town."

"Neat. My name's Troy and I hail from Pewter, and I tell you what, that Forest by Viridian City ain't any fun to walk through."

"Oh. Say, you're a trainer, aren't you?"

"Course. You itchin' for a battle?"

"Yeah, I guess. I mean, I haven't battled at all yet, but I need some practice, right?"

"Well, I've been training for a couple months now, so it won't be a very fair battle. But I caught a couple new pokemon on this route, so I'll use them and go easy on you."

"Alright." Ryan replied, uncertain. "C'mon Growlithe, let's go!"

"Grow!"

Troy picked a pokeball from his ball and tapped the button in the centre, causing a crimson bolt of energy to snake out from it and release a male Nidoran.

"Nidoran, use tackle!"

Ryan was caught off guard. He'd never battled before, and had expected to have more time to make a battle plan. The Nidoran jumped forward in a pink blur and slammed into Growlithe, knocking him over backwards.

"Ah! Growlithe, use Ember!"

A few small beads of flame formed in the mouth of the fire-type and began to fly at Nidoran, but the pink pokemon was skilled enough to avoid them and connect hard with a Double Kick.

"Growlithe, use Ember again! And this time watch out for the Double Kick!"

"Nidoran, attack with Tackle!"

The fire-type shot off another Ember attack, this time connecting with at least some of the flames. The Nidoran was knocked off balance by the attack and hit Growlithe with its horn, cutting a long scratch down his side. Luckily no blood came out.

"Growlithe!"

"Sorry mate, but I guess it's over. Hope your Growlithe ain't hurt too bad."

Ryan grudgingly handed over 3500P, half of the cash he had on him.

"Gee, that's a lot. Thanks mate! Oh, have this. I caught it a while back, but it's too weak for my liking. 'Sides, for this much moolah, you deserve it. Good luck!"

"Ah, thanks." Ryan said uncertainly as he took the pokeball from the victor, who proceeded to walk off down the route headed away from Viridian City.

Ryan clicked the little button in the middle of the pokeball to release his new pokemon, and out popped a small, brown and white bird. It's beak was small but quite sharp, and the wings didn't look very strong.

"Spearow!" Ryan exclaimed as he looked at it. It was supposed to be one of the more aggressive of the flying-types, so it would make a good member of the team. He had no time for cute pokemon.

"Speaaar." The bird crowed, and hopped around the ground.

"Pretty good way to get a first pokemon, eh?" Ryan said to himself as he put the Spearow back in its pokeball. "But I'd better hurry now if I want to make it to Viridian!"


	4. Gym Battle!

As Ryan trudged along the route to Viridian he crossed paths with two Pidgey and a Geodude, but with only an untrained Spearow and an injured Growlithe, he decided to avoid them instead of battle them.

When Ryan arrived at Viridian City he found himself in the middle of a huge market, each person trying to find someone to trade pocket monsters with or buy items off of, and they all seemed to be conspiring to get in his way.

Finally Ryan arrived at a large red and white building with a Poke-centre insignia above the door. _I'll get Growlithe fixed up here._

When he arrived he saw a crowd gathering around a large table at the side, and went over to see what was going on. When he managed to fight his way through the throng to the front he was amazed at what he saw.

_ASH KETCHUM!_

"Sign my autograph book!"

"Sign my shirt!"

"Sign my Pikachu!"

_And I thought I was a big fan… _Ryan thought, amazed at the insanity.

"Just hold on, guys. I'll sign anything you give me if you just give me a minute." Ash said happily. Ryan could tell Ash was enjoying himself.

"Can you sign my Pokemon League hat?" Ryan asked when it was his turn. _I can't believe I'm meeting Ash Ketchum face to face!_

"Sure, kid. What's your name?"

"Ryan Smyth, sir."

"Hey, don't call me sir. That's for important people, right?" Ash laughed.

"Yeah, right."

"There ya go Ryan. See ya!" Ash said, handing him the cap.

With all the excitement, Ryan had nearly forgotten why he had gone to the Centre in the first place.

"Eh, nurse? Could you look at my Growlithe?"

"Sure! He has a name?"

_Dang, I can't believe I forgot to name him! Man, I'm an idiot…_

"Yeah, he's, eh, Wolfgang." Ryan told her, saying the first name that came to mind.

"Well, that's unusual!" The nurse said cheerfully, taking the pokeball. "I'll return him to you in a few minutes. Have a seat."

"Thanks." _Wolfgang? What kind of a stupid name is Wolfgang? _Ryan asked himself as he fiddled around with Spearow's pokeball. _Well, at least I can give this one a decent name._ _Sky? No. Caw? No. Ah, what was the name of that guy from Judges who fought off the enemy with only a fraction of an army? Gideon. Yeah! Gideon!_

"Hon, your Growlithe is done. It had some nasty cuts and bruises, but it's good to go now."

"Thank you."

Ryan received the pokeball made his way out of the Centre to find the gym. It took him a long time to get through the crowds, but he eventually reached the huge building marked with the symbol of the Earth badge.

When he entered he saw a group f trainers all surrounding a man at the front, and realized that this wasn't Kenneth.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"Kenneth is gone and left his apprentice, Arthur, to run the joint. He's a pushover!" One of the trainers answered.

"Great! Mind if I have a go?" Ryan exclaimed. This was incredible! He was going to get his first gym badge right away, and it was going to be easy.

"Alright. Everyone else has already beaten me." Arthur sighed. "One on one alright with you?"

"Sure! Growlithe, let's go!"

"I can't fight that thing! It's still a baby!" Arthur exclaimed.

"C'mon! You afraid?" Ryan taunted, eager to get the Earth Badge.

"Fine, I'll battle you. But don't say I didn't warn you."

"Hurry up!"

"Graveller, let's battle!"

The giant rock type emerged from an Ultraball and started off the battle with a precise Rock Throw, nailing Growlithe straight in the spine and causing him to collapse. It was over!

"What? How could I lose so easily?" Ryan cried. "You cheated!"

"Hey! I won!" Arthur said happily. "Well kid, I told you it wasn't a fair fight. Get that Growlithe checked out, kay?"

"Sucker! Loser!" The other trainers jeered, laughing at the rookie who'd lost to a pathetic, interim gym leader.

Ryan quickly handed Arthur half of what was left of his cash and ran out of the building, humiliated.

_Stupid Growlithe! I knew I should've gotten a Pikachu. I KNEW it! _He thought as he ran, not caring how many people he ran into.

When he reached the city centre, he ran straight up to one of the trading stalls and placed his Growlithe on the table. "I want a Pikachu. Can I get one?"

"Heck, even _I_ can't get one!" The stall worker said. "With Ash Ketchum in town, everyone and their Houndour wants a Pikachu."

"Gah! What CAN I get?"

"Er, well, we've got a Squirtle in the back we could give you."

"I'll take it!"


	5. Caitlin

Caitlin wandered the streets of Viridian, waiting to find Ryan. She saw the homeless, sitting on the curb and in the alleys, wearing heavy overcoats and pushing shopping carts.

Her Sandshrew was in his pokeball, as the laws demanded, so Caitlin was beginning to feel lonely. _Why'd I head of without him? Ryan's probably lost somewhere out in the wild, with just a baby Growlithe to protect him. I should go look for him._

As Caitlin's thoughts drifted towards finding her friend, so she drifted off to the northern outskirts of the city without realizing it. The crowds grew less dense, until finally all there was were a few factory workers and street bums.

Viridian was a busy city that had experienced a population boom a few years back when a wealthy investor hit oil, and the infrastructure couldn't keep up. Hundreds, or thousands, of people winded up homeless and jobless, and the city's homeless shelters were receiving less money in grants every year. And still people continued to flock to the city in hopes of striking it rich.

After walking through the booming city for a nearly an hour, Caitlin realized she needed to go back to the centre, and then decide whether or not to go looking for Ryan.

_Either way, I should probably head out of the city soon, I'm sure that my pokemon are getting restless just sitting in their pokeballs._

It didn't take very long to get back, not when she was consciously heading in a specific direction, so she arrived at the Pokemon Centre in about twenty minutes, and from there she set out to search for her companion.

_I miss him. It's lonely being all by yourself, especially if you can't let your pokemon out…_

Just as she was about to leave the Centre she spotted Ash Ketchum, famous Pokemon Champion leaving, followed by an assistant and a bodyguard. Ash KETCHUM!

_I have to get Ryan an autograph! _She thought as she pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and ran towards the famous trainer. "Mr. Ketchum!"

"Hello, and who are you?" He asked. He was about twenty years old, as near as Caitlin could tell, and face-to-face he was very… handsome…

"Ah--I'm your--number one--can you sign this--I mean…"

"Of course!" He said, smiling, and took the paper out of her hands. "What's your name?"

"Ash…" She stuttered, completely at a loss.

"Hey, just like me! Funny name for a girl though." He chuckled as he signed the page and handed it back to her. "Bye Ash!"

"Caitlin stumbled backwards and collapsed onto a bench, awestruck. _I can't believe I just met Ash Ketchum!_

_I can't believe I just made a fool of myself in front of Ash Ketchum!_

_He was a lot better looking than on TV…_

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"Wait a minute." A boy's voice said from behind Ryan. "You can't trade that pokemon."

"Why not? He's weak!" Ryan shot back. "I wanted a Pikachu, but I got stuck with this thing, and it got knocked out by one attack at the gym!"

"You tried to battle a leader with this Growlithe? He's only a baby!" The boy said. He had brown hair that was medium length, and he looked to be about sixteen. His eyes were bright blue and seemed to stare right into Ryan.

"Why can't I trade him?"

"Cause he's only a baby, like I said. You can't just keep making a young pokemon like this keep switching trainers. It'll confuse them."

"Well, I don't want it. It's weak!"

"It's a BABY! You have to nurture it before you try to battle any trainers, let alone a gym leader. But it looks like you've put this boy through a lot. Look at this scratch, and all these bruises along the spine!" The boy told him.

"But I don't want to lose all the time!"

"Nobody wins with a pokemon fresh out of the lab, kid. Train him some before battling another trained pokemon. I suggest tagging along with an accomplished trainer to learn the ropes before you go out on your own."

"Well, I don't know any real trainers besides my friend, but she's only had a pokemon for two weeks and left home the other day, with me."

"You know me!" The boy winked, and held out his hand. "Name's Tai Mali, and I've been training for two years now. Got five badges to my name, and I'd say that makes me an accomplished trainer, eh?"

"So, you won't mind if I tag along with you?"

"For a while anyway. Once you've got a badge or two and your pokemon are strong enough to keep you safe, I'll turn you loose. Alright?"

"Wow, thanks. But what about my friend, Caitlin?"

"Well, she's welcome to come with us, providing you two can keep up with me. I'll be heading to Cerulean next, to challenge Lauren for the Cascade Badge." Tai said.

"If we find your friend before ten o'clock tomorrow, she can tag along." He continued. "If not, I want to head out anyway. Agreed?"

"Agreed." Ryan said. _Hey, she left me on my own out on Route 1._

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Caitlin had wandered around the Route for nearly five hours, and the sky was dark and getting darker.

_Stupid Ryan. He's probably in Viridian already and laughing at me from his hotel room for being out here. _

Caitlin finally decided to head back to find him and tear his head off for worrying her. "C'mon Sandshrew. You're gonna have to come back into your pokeball so we can head into town."

The ground type shook his head and jumped around the clearing, enjoying himself immensely. "Shrew sand."

"I said, get ready to go in your pokeball."

"Shreeeeeeeeeeeeeew sand!"

"Let's go, Sandshrew! You're really getting on my nerves right now!" Caitlin screamed, and the pokemon immediately became subdued and rolled up into a ball.

"Ah, crap. Sorry Sandshrew, I didn't mean to scare you. C'mon, we just have to go back to town if we don't want to sleep outside, okay?"

"Sand?"

"No, I'm not mad. Let's just go, okay?"

"Saaaand."

"Good. I'm glad you approve. Now, in we go!" Caitlin said, clicking the centre of the pokeball and returning her partner.

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Ryan and Tai looked around the Pokemon Centre one last time after checking out of the hotel across the street. They didn't want to miss Caitlin.

"Well kid, sorry, but I'm going to have to go now, with or without your friend. You coming?"

"Eh, ya. I'll find her eventually." Ryan said, feeling a little bit guilty.

"Okay then, let's go." Tai directed, and he set off, taking long, purposeful strides east, towards the home of the Water Queen Gym leader.


	6. Off to Cerulean!

Tai and Ryan arrived at the hills between Viridian City and Cerulean City just before noon, and decided not to stop for lunch until they were on the other side.

"You should let out your pokemon Ryan, they need the exercise." Tai suggested as the prepared to begin the climb.

"What about yours?" Ryan asked. "Shouldn't they come out too?"

"They're older and more experienced, and are used to being in a pokeball. Once your pokemon are older they won't mind being contained for longer periods of time. Besides, they'd just slow us down, they're not made for climbing all the time."

"Alright." Ryan said. "Let's go Wolfgang, Gideon." The two pokeballs erupted in a flash of crimson energy and released the Growlithe and Spearow, who were both happy to be out.

The Spearow flew straight up and began to survey the area, clearly unfamiliar with the territory. Wolfgang sat right down and stared at Ryan angrily.

"Hey, kid, looks like your Growlithe isn't too happy." Tai said, amused.

"What do you mean?"

"Look at him."

"Aw, now what?" Ryan whined, crouching down beside the fire-type.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr." The pocket monster growled crossly.

"Maybe he's mad cause you used him in those battles that he had no chance of winning."

"What? He's supposed to battle!"

"Not when he's doomed to lose."

Ryan turned to Wolfgang. "Is that why you're mad at me?"

"Groooow." Wolfgang agreed.

"Well, I'm sorry. Start fresh?"

Wolfgang nodded.

"You're lucky you have such a forgiving pokemon." Tai told Ryan. "Don't use him in trainer battles 'til he's stronger. He's just a baby, remember."

Just then the two boys heard the sound of small feet running across the rocky hillside. "Pokemon!" Ryan exclaimed, and Tai nodded his head.

"Sounds like Nidoran. Go catch one or two, you want more than just two pokemon."

"But Caitlin told me to wait until I'd bonded with Wolfgang to catch more."

"Well, I'd say you've bonded enough, eh? Besides, you're not going to have a special bond with every one you catch, but at the early stages it's good to have a larger team."

Ryan sprinted up the hillside to a plateau a few hundred metres away, followed close behind by a Growlithe eager to win a battle. "C'mon Gideon!" He called to his Spearow.

The small flying type glanced down at the trainer, and then decided it would rather have a nice flight. _Probably like what Tai told me. If you trade young pokemon, they just get confused. It doesn't recognize me as its trainer._

"Well, Wolfgang, it looks like it's just you and me. Ember!"

The fire-type reared its head and shot off a flurry of small flames at the herd of pink and purple Nidoran. They scattered like leaves under a leaf blower.

"Alright, Tackle that one in the middle, the boy with the scorched leg." Ryan directed, and Wolfgang was eager to fight so took the orders willingly.

He connected hard with the male Nidoran's side, knocking it over. "Nidooooo!"

"Grrrrrrrr!" Wolfgang growled, firing off another Ember attack. After being cooped up in the pokeball for so long he was really going after it with a vengeance.

"Good job!" Ryan cried out, encouraging the pocket monster. "Now, finish it with another tackle."

Just as Growlithe was about to connect with the Nidoran, it got its senses back and nailed him hard with a Double Kick.

'Groooooow!"

"Don't worry Wolfgang! Just stay away from that horn and use Ember!"

The Growlithe took the warning very seriously, and kept both eyes on the sharp horn protruding from the pokemon's head. A flurry of fire shot out from his mouth and scorched the Nidoran's backside, stopping it in its tracks.

Ryan pulled a pokeball from his belt and tossed it at the injured poison-type, encasing it within the two-toned sphere. It bounced around on the ground for a moment as the pokemon began to try and escape, but the struggle was in vain and the pokeball soon beeped, acknowledging a completed capture!

"Wahoo!" Ryan yelled. "I caught one!"

Wolfgang bounded up to his trainer and landed in his arms, happy to have succeeded. When Ryan hugged him, however, he pulled back.

"What's wrong buddy? Are you hurt?"

"Groooooow."

"Aw, man. Let's get you to Tai. He'll know what to do."

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"I'm no doctor, but I'd say he probably has some nasty bruises. As much as he's not going to like this, I think you're going to have to keep him in his ball."

"What? But what if I need him to protect me?"

Tai laughed. "He's still a baby, you'll be protecting him far more than the other way around. My pokemon will end up protecting both of us."

"Speaking of which, what ARE your pokemon?" Ryan asked. "I'd like to see them, since they'll be pretty strong."

"Sure." Tai said, pulling his pokeballs of his belt. "C'mon guys, strut your stuff!"

Out of the six pokeballs came six flashes of red light, each taking the shape of a different pocket monster.

"Blade, my Scyther, is a new member to my team and isn't quite used to trainers, so keep your distance." He said as he began the introductions. "Electro and Aquato, my Raichu and Azumarill, were the pokemon I caught first, and best friends with each other ever since. Of course, I caught them as Pikachu and Azurill. Charizard here was my starter, and I guess I just never got around to naming him. Of course, he's unique enough as it is." Ryan noticed a huge gash out of one of its wings. "Then there's Nighthawk the Murkrow, he's not very nice to trainers, even though I've had him for a long time. I keep him with me to try and make him friendlier. And last but not least, I've got Acheron, my Rapidash. He's such an attention suck, if you don't pet him he won't like you." Tai finished with a smile.

"Some of 'em are rough around the edges, but I like 'em all the same."

"Wow…" Was all Ryan could say. _What a team…_

"How many pokemon do you have altogether?" He asked.

"Eh, about fifty. But a few of them are the same species."

"That's incredible! I've only got three." Ryan chuckled.

"Yeah, well, you still have a lot of training left to do."

"I guess…"

"Anyways, now that you've got another pokemon, let's continue our journey." Tai commanded, and set off before waiting for a reply.

"Hey! Wait for me!"


	7. Caitlin Again

_Where _is _he? _Caitlin thought as she looked in every nook and cranny of the Centre. She'd already checked the gym in case he was actually stupid enough to try it, but he wasn't there and the leader, Kenny, hadn't seen him.

"Nurse Joy, I don't suppose you remember seeing a boy about my age? He's the same height as me and has black hair…" She said as she described Ryan to the Nurse. "His name is Ryan."

"Hmmmm, what pokemon did he have with him?"

"Just a Growlithe, ma'am."

"Well, I've got a Ryan in this system that matches your description, but this says he had a Spearow too. Could he be the one you're looking for?"

"Yes! Thank you. Do you know which room he's staying in?"

"Oh no, he's not here. He left this morning with an older trainer, named Tyler or something like that."

"What?! He left without me?!" Caitlin exclaimed, steaming mad. "I'll teach him a lesson he'll NEVER forget! Do you know where they went?"

"Well," Joy began, taken back by the sudden change in mood. "I think they were headed over the hills to Cerulean."

"Thanks. I'll find them." Caitlin said angrily with a look of pure determination on her face.

"Good luck!" Nurse Joy called out as Caitlin left the Centre. She then turned to the next trainer in line, got her composure back, and asked, "What can I do for you?"

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It was nearly sun set when Tai and Ryan reached the far side of the hills, and according to the map it was nearly a day's walk to the city limits.

"Well, looks like we're going to camp out here." Tai sighed, pulling his sleeping bag out of his duffel. "You can let out Wolfgang, now that we're not moving anymore. Is Gideon still up there?" He asked, jerking his thumb skyward.

"Yeah, he's still following us. HEY! BIRD! GET DOWN HERE!" He shouted with his hands cupped to his mouth. The Spearow dove heard first towards the hard ground, and Ryan was about to jump out of the way when it swerved up and landed calmly on the ground.

"Heh, that bird sure has an attitude. No wonder Troy gave it to you."

"How'd you know Troy gave it to me?"

"Troy's my kid brother. When I told him I picked up a kid and described you he said you were the one he gave a Spearow to."

"But you talk so…different."

"You talk that way when you're raised on the ranch. But I've been gone so long, I'm starting to learn real English."

"Oh…" Ryan said. This was weird. He could never see Tai battling him when he had such a clear advantage.

"Well, g'night. It's time to get some rest."

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"Grrrrr, I'll get that Ryan. He won't know what hit him when I'm through with him!" Caitlin growled as she climbed up the hillside. She wanted to catch up with Ryan and that Tyler kid, so she wasn't going to stop for night until she'd done so.

"And here I was all worried about him, and what does he do? Runs off!"

"Hoothoot!" A pokemon chirped from a tree as it flung itself forward.

"Augh!" Caitlin screamed. She hated flying-types.

Caitlin tossed out Sandshrew's pokeball, and when he popped out he immediately rolled into a ball. _Stupid cowardly pokemon! It's all right for ME to be afraid of flying-types, but my pokemon?_

She stumbled back as the harmless Hoothoot hopped around, chirping happily. Caitlin grabbed at the ball of Slither, her Ekans. "Help!" She cried as she threw it out.

Only, nothing happened. "AGH! That was an empty one!" She screamed as it hit the Hoothoot in the face. That's when things got interesting. A flash of light enveloped the small pocket monster, and encased it in the pokeball. After a few moments of struggling, it was caught.

"What? I don't want that pokemon!" She exclaimed, tears running down her face. She'd just wasted a pokeball.

"Well, I guess I'll just keep you until I find someone stupid enough to trade with me." She said, grabbing the pokeball and clipping it on to her belt. _But right now I have bigger fish to fry. Ryan, I'll KILL YOU!_

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Ryan woke up just as the sun passed over the treetops, which his watch said was 6 o'clock, and to his horror saw Tai already up and cooking breakfast.

"How can you get up that early? It's disgusting!"

"If you're going to be a trainer," Tai said over a sizzling pan of bacon. "You'll learn to get up sooner."

"RYAN!"

"AUGH!" Ryan yelled, ducking back into his blanket. _A rampaging Caitlin, incarnation of everything evil. Just what I want to see when I wake up from bad sleep on hard ground. _

"Why'd you run off?! I was worried sick and wasted hours looking for you!"

"Wait, you left me on my own too." Ryan protested, trying to get a word in edgewise.

"But I told you where I'd be!"

"Viridian City is pretty darn big, Caitlin." Ryan shot back. "I couldn't find you."

"Kids, stop fighting. I want to make it to Cerulean for lunch." Tai interjected.

"How are we going to do that?" Ryan asked, turning to face him. "It's a day's walk, at least!"

"We're going to ride. We couldn't get Acheron to carry us over the hill, but even with three people he can get us to Cerulean faster than walking."

"So you're Tyler?" Caitlin asked, still angry but clearly she'd given up the fight. Ryan wasn't going to listen to sense.

"Nope. Just Tai. Anyways, you coming with us or do we go on alone?" He asked with a smile.

Caitlin looked at both of them, then smiled. "Oh, I'm coming with you alright."

"Then dig in!" He said, holding out the bacon.

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The three had eaten and packed up camp in about an hour, and then Tai released his Rapidash.

"It's so beautiful!" Caitlin exclaimed, petting its glossy coat.

"Hop on!" Tai commanded as he swung himself onto the fire-type. Ryan pulled himself up as well, and then Tai gave Caitlin a hand onto the end.

"Don't fall off!" He said as he dug his heels into the pokemon's sides, spurring it onward.

The Rapidash ran amazingly fast for the weight it was carrying, and it flew over large patches of grass with a single bound.

Along the way Caitlin told Ryan about the Hoothoot, and Ryan told her about Gideon and the Nidoran.

It wasn't long before they arrived at their destination, and had to recall the Rapidash. "We have to go on foot from here." Tai said as they entered the city.

Cerulean was big and busy, but it was nothing compared to Viridian. Everything here seemed shiny and new, and people went about their business quietly. In the centre of the city a giant fountain stood, and it was a sculpture of a Gyarados shooting water into the air from its mouth.

"That's awesome!" Ryan exclaimed when it came into view.

"Well, you two check into the pokemon centre and get some lunch. I have business to settle at the gym. See you in an hour or so, okay?" Tai said as he eyed the large building across the city with the symbol of the Cascade Badge imprinted on the front.

"Sure." Ryan said as he and Caitlin waved goodbye to Tai and headed towards the centre.


	8. The Chapter Formerly Known as Eight

The Pokemon Centre was huge, far bigger than the one at Viridian City. It was staffed by at least ten nurses, each running a different ward.

"Hello, Nurse Joy." Ryan said to the one standing behind a counter marked _General Treatment. _"Can you look at my pokemon please?" He said, handing her his three pokeballs.

"Mine too, please." Caitlin said, handing over her four balls as well.

"What polite trainers! I'll give these back to you in a few minutes. Make yourselves comfortable!"

The two trainers flopped down on a sofa in the corner of the centre and waited for the partners to be ready for battle again. Trainers filled the building, having their pokemon healed and sharing pokedex data via the PC in the back.

"Hey, kids. Got any pokemon to trade?" An older trainer asked after Ryan and Caitlin were returned their pokemon. He looked about sixteen, and his hair was brown and cut into a Mohawk.

"For what?" Caitlin asked anxiously, thinking of her Hoothoot.

"Well, I'm looking a Bird Trainer, and I've got some older pokemon that I'm looking to swap for younger ones. They're more fun to train."

"Well, I've got a Spearow…" Ryan said.

"How long you had him?" The boy asked, sizing Ryan up.

"A couple days."

"Alright, cool. I'll give you a trade if you throw in a couple thousand bucks."

"WHAT?"

"What, I'm not going to trade a Pidgeotto for a Spearow straight across!" The trainer argued, holding out a Greatball containing the aforementioned Pidgeotto.

"A Pidgeotto?" Ryan gasped. "You've got a deal!"

The two swapped pokeballs and Ryan handed the older trainer a wad of bills.

"Ryan!" Caitlin cried as the other boy walked off. "That was the last of your money!"

"Hey, Caitlin, with a Pidgeotto I can beat a bunch of trainers! Then I'll earn my money back."

'Whatever. Just don't make me be around it, ok?"

"Sure, since you're such a big scaredy!"

"Shut up!"

The two friends continued to banter for nearly an hour when Tai finally arrived. "Hey guys! Guess what!"

"What?" Ryan asked, looking up at his friend.

"I got the Cascade badge!"

'Congratulations!" Ryan exclaimed, high-fiving Tai. "That's awesome! Guess what else happened."

"I don't know, what?" He asked, still ecstatic about his gym victory.

"I got a Pidgeotto!"

"Really? No way."

"Way!"

Caitlin was getting tired of the whole conversation, and began flipping through a magazine on the table. "Hey guys," she said, "Can we find a restaurant? I'm starving."

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After a hearty meal at a restaurant called the "Diving Dratini", the friends checked into one of the Pokemon Centre's rooms for the night.

"G'night guys." Ryan called as he dozed off. "It's gonna feel good to sleep in a real bed tonight."

"Amen, brother."

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As the moon rose high in the sky, Ryan slipped out of the Centre. There were some pokemon that could only be found at night, and he wanted them.

The city was empty and it was a quick walk to the city's edge, and from there he wandered around until he found a patch of tall grass. He could hear the sound of pokemon feet scurrying around, and it wasn't long until he came face to face with the pokemon he was after.

"Tangela!" The pokemon squealed when it saw a trainer looming over it. Four vines shot out of the mass of plants and shrubbery and flew towards Ryan.

"Pidgeotto! Wolfgang!" He called, tossing out the two pokeballs. The Pidgeotto was bigger than he expected, must have been twice the size of Wolfgang. "Pidgeotto, use, eh, Gust."

The flying type looked at Ryan, unsure of whether to follow him or not, but when one of the vines hit it straght across the face, there was no question. "PIDGE! OTTO!" It cried, blowing a Gust at the grass type and sending it flying backwards.

"Wolfgang, use Ember!"

Tiny red flames shot out of the Growlithe's mouth and scorched the vines that made up Tangela's body, ending the battle faster than it had begun.

Ryan tossed out a pokeball to capture the Tangela quickly, and it rattled for much longer than was comfortable.

Rattle.

Rattle.

Rattle.

Stop.

"YES!"

After a quick celebration Ryan began to quickly head towards the Centre. _Wait until Tai sees this!_

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Sorry for the long wait for the short chapter guys, but I'm sure you don't care anyway. Thanks for your reviews, mates.


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